Buying a Freezer
A freezer is one item that anyone serious about feeding their family good, clean, locally grown food can’t be without. However, most have not had sufficient experience buying freezers to know how to make a good choice.
First: Buy a name brand freezer if you can.
Second: Buy a chest-type freezer!
Third: Call every store you think carries freezers and ask for their best price.
Fourth: To determine the best price, you need to figure the price per cubic foot. To do this, you will have to get the exact cubic feet of the freezer. Be careful; no freezer is exactly 15 cubic feet. Get the clerk to give you the exact cubic feet off the freezer label. Divide the price by the exact cubic feet to get the cost per cubic foot. Buy the freezer that gives you the best price per cubic foot. For example, a 14.9 cubic foot freezer costs $419. $419/14.9 = $28.12 per cubic foot.
Fifth: Uprights are a no-no! The key to long-term storage of foods is to keep the temperature constant at or below zero degrees. For this reason, an upright freezer is not a good choice for long-term food storage.
There are many reasons for this:
•
Every time you open the door of an upright freezer, all the cold air falls out, and the freezer has to re-cool.
Every time you open the door of an upright freezer, all the cold air falls out, and the freezer has to re-cool. •Upright freezers have a defrost system. This defrost system raises the temperature during the defrost cycle.
Upright freezers have a defrost system. This defrost system raises the temperature during the defrost cycle. •Upright freezers have a circulating fan that helps distribute the temperature throughout the entire freezer box. This also circulates flavors of unfrozen items around other items in the freezer. There is something about strawberry-flavored chicken that just doesn’t come across very well.
Upright freezers have a circulating fan that helps distribute the temperature throughout the entire freezer box. This also circulates flavors of unfrozen items around other items in the freezer. There is something about strawberry-flavored chicken that just doesn’t come across very well.Buy a chest-type freezer. It is the best long-term storage device and one you will be happier with over the long run. Defrost it once a year in the wintertime.
Sixth: A freezer in the 15-18 cubic foot range is the most common. You will fill up a smaller one so fast you wish you would have bought a larger one.
Seventh: Plug your freezer into a dedicated plug. Any electrician can install this for you. However, do not let this stop you from purchasing a freezer. If you spent your entire budget on the freezer, just go with the plug you have.
If you have young children, try to figure out a way to secure the plug permanently to the outlet.
Stick a nightlight into the other receptacle of this outlet. This will alert you should the circuit breaker trip.
Eighth: Once you have the freezer home, let it sit for a couple of hours before you plug it in. This allows the oil in the compressor to settle into the right place. Then, plug in your freezer and place a thermometer inside. Turn the thermostat to the coldest position. Let it run for 48 hours or until you have the temperature stable at or below zero degrees. After 48 hours, you’re ready to start storing food.
When you buy from Goose Pond Farm……it’s an investment.
Goose Pond Farm
298 Goose Pond Rd
Hartselle, AL 35640
256-751-0987
Goose Pond Farm,LLC
Hartselle, AL
256-751-0987